Tie-spacing device.



P. W. MOORE.

TIE SPAGING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 11011.10, 1911.

1,095,658, Patented May 5, 1914.

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PHILIP W. MOORE, F EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB. TO THE P. 85 M. 00., 0F

' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TIE-SPACING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 5, 1914.

To all whom it mag "concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP W. MOORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tie-Spacing -Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to tie-spacing devices to prevent skewing of railway ties adjacent to a rail joint and to resist creeping.

It is customary to lay rails with what is known as broken or staggered joints. With this arrangement the rail joints on one side of the track are located approximately opposite the middle of the opposite rails. The rails being usually joined by splice-bars or fish-plates bolted thereto and also spiked to the ties, the rail joint acts somewhat like an anti-creeping device," that is to say, the creeping tendency of the rail is resisted by the ties at the rail joint. As a result the two ties nearest to the rail joint, and to which the members comprising the rail joint are spiked or otherwise secured, are pushed ahead in the direction of the creeping. This pushing ahead of the ends of the ties causes a skewing action tending to draw the rails closer together and thereby affecting the gage.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a tie-spacing member or plate adapted to be located beneath a rail opposite a rail joint and secured to the tie in such a manner as to resist the skewing tendency referred to above, whereby the ties are maintained substantially parallel and the gage is accurately maintained.

Another object is to provide a tie-spacing member with means for gripping the rail base and adapted to increase its grip thereon when the rail tends to creep.

A further object is to provide a tie-spacing member which shall act as an anticreeper, so that when located opposite a rail joint the creeping tendency of the rails will be resisted by both ends of said ties, whereby skewing thereof is minimized.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description.

The invention may be embodied in various forms. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated two embodiments thereof.

It is apparent that I do not desire to limit myself to these two embodiments which are selected for the purpose of illustration only.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of the road bed showing one form of my improved tiespacing device, located opposite a rail joint. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of said tie-spacing device. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of another form of tie-spacing device. Fig. 4B is an end elevation thereof.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown in Fig. 1 ties 1 supporting the rails 2, 3 and 4:. The rails 3 and a are joined by the rail joint 5. Beneath the opposite rail 2, I provide the tie-spacing member or plate 6 which is supported by the ties 1, 1 and spiked thereto by means of spikes 7 7 arranged in a manner hereinafter described. Near the middle of the plate 6 I provide. preferably aws 8 arranged in staggered relation and each overlying a portion of the base of the rail 2. The distance between the diagonally arranged faces of these jaws 8 is somewhat greater than the width of the rail base, as will be apparent from an inspection of the drawing. As a result the plate 6 may be applied to the rail by placing it beneath the same at a considerable angle with the rail, whereby the jaws 8 on said plate may be lifted suificiently to permit the plate to be swung around parallel to the rail, whereupon said jaws will grip the rail base firmly and tend to carry the plate with the rail when the rail tends to creep.

The spikes 7 are arranged preferably in staggered relation to each other in the same relative-positions as the jaws 8. That is to say, the spikes 7 and jaw 8 on the side of the rail toward the rail joint are arranged in advance of the corresponding elements on the other side of said rail.- In other words, they are moved forward in the direction of creeping which is indicated by the arrow in Fig. l. The spikes 7 pass through diagonally arranged slots 9 in the plate 6. The slots at one end are arranged at a considerable angle with respect to the slots at the other end of the plate and slant in the opposite direction, as shown. WVhen the plate 6 tends to creep forward with the rail to which it is frictionally secured by the jaws 8, the forward movement thereof with respect to the relatively stationary spikes 7, causes the forward end of said plate to tend slightly toward the left, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 1, and the rear end thereof to tend slightly toward the right, due to the diagonal arrangement of the slots. The plate is thereby given a slight rotating or twisting movement about a point located somewhere near the jaws 8. This turning of the plate 6 causes increased gripping of the rail base by the jaws 8. Hence the spikes act not only to lock the plate against a backward turning movement which would loosen its grip on the rail base, but said spikes tend to give a positive rotative move ment to said plate in a direction to increase said grip. Said spikes also communicate to said ties, the creeping thrust of the rail. Consequently, the creeping tendency of the rail is resisted by both of the ties 1, 1, to which said plate is secured. Inasmuch as the opposite rail joint acts as an anticreeper, as previously explained, the creeping tendency of the rails is resisted by both ends of the ties, so that there is substantially no skewing tendency due to a forward movement of one end only of said ties.

The plate 6 may be made of mild steel in which case the jaws 8 may assume the form of lugs struck up from the plate. Or the plate may be made of malleable iron with the jaws 8 cast thereon and suitably reinforced, if desired.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 3

the plate 10' is provided at each end with raised abutments 11 between which a recess is formed adapted to receive the base of the rail. The side walls of these abutments are adapted to bear directly against the outer edges of the rail base. The spikes 12 are arranged preferably in staggered relation in a manner similar to that already described and, being driven into the ties, cooperate with the plate 9 and with the rail base, and thereby resist the skewing tendency previously described, by virtue of the rigidity of the connection between the tie, plate and rail.

The plate 10 is applied to the rails diagonally, as described in connection with the preceding form of device. In swinging said plate around to a position parallel to the rail its ends are sprung down to permit the raised abutments 11 to pass under the rail to their proper positions. One of the abutments at each end acts to permit a return movement of the plate such as would loosen the hold of the jaws thereon. The form, construction, arrangement and number of abutments may, of course, be varied within wide limits. This form of tie-spacing plate also acts as an anti-creeper, but resists the skewing tendency of the ties mainly by virtue of the rigidity of the angular relation maintained between the rail and the tie, as previously explained. Said tie-spacing plate may also be used advantageously in connection with rails which may creep in either direction. Considered from the standpoint of an anti-creeper only, the staggered arrangeinent of the spikes is immaterial and consequently said spikes may be arranged in any suitable manner, with either form of device. Both forms of plate may be made long enough to extend over more than two ties if desired.

it is apparent that the invention is not limited to the forms described and illustrated or to the details thereof and hence I desire to cover broadly suitable equivalent means for accomplishing the desired results where such means fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A device for maintaining wooden ties in proper spaced relation comprising in combination, a member adapted to rest on the tops of adjacentwooden ties and secured thereto by spikes near its opposite ends, said member having integral railgripping jaws arranged between said ends and having said spikes arranged to resist angular movement of said ties relatively to said rail.

2. A tie-spacing device comprising in combination a plate arranged between the rail and the ties, said plate having rail-engaging jaws arranged intermediate its ends and in staggered relation to each other, said plate being spiked to said ties at each end by a plurality of spikes, said spikes being also arranged in staggered relation to each other to resist the skewing tendency of said ties with respect to said rail.

3. A one-piece tie-spacing member adapted to span a plurality of ties and having abutments at each end adapted to bear against opposite sides of a rail base and provided with spike holes through said abutments, whereby the securing spikes are by said abutments to aid in resisting skewing of the ties with respect to said rail.

1. A combined tie-spacer and anti-creeper comprising a member adapted to be secured to a plurality of ties, said member having a pair of opposed rail-engaging jaws arranged one slightly in advance of the other and having shoulders engaging the rail base to maintain said jaws in effective gripping position.

5. A combined tie-spacer and anti-creeper comprising a member adapted to be arranged between a rail base and the top surfaces of a plurality of ties, said member havlng rail-gripping aws arranged in staggered relation thereon, and means for securing said member to each tie in order to resist the skewing tendency thereof when one of the rails tends to creep.

6. A rail fastener comprising a body adapted to rest on adjacent cross-ties at its opposite ends and having its middle portion against the rail base, a pair of rail gripping members on said middle portion adapted to hold the rail base and resist creeping thereof, and means on said body cooperating with said rail base to maintain said body parallel to said base.

7. A rail fastener comprising a resilient body adapted to rest at its opposite ends on cross-ties and having opposite jaws on its middle portion arranged in staggered relation, whereby said jaws may be made to grip the rail base by applyingsaid body 15 diagonally and turning it parallel to the rail, and a locking projection on said body arranged toward the end thereof and on the side opposite the nearest jaw to prevent a backward turning of said body, the latter being required to be sprung in turning it to operative position to permit said projection to pass under said rail.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses. r

PHILIP W. MOORE.

Witnesses:

F. H. DRURY, Gno. B. JONES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

